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Cancún, Mexico. October 2026 – The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) carried out a working mission in Cancún to strengthen the regional response to sargassum, participating in the Regional Sargassum Governance Policy Lab and in the IV EU–Caribbean Global Gateway Conference on Sargassum; forums focused on governance, science, innovation, financing and international cooperation.

The participation took place at a decisive moment for regional cooperation: following the adoption, on 18 September in Venezuela, of the Common Position on Sargassum in the Greater Caribbean, the ACS arrived in Cancún with shared priorities to move towards a more coordinated, sustainable and science-based regional response.

During her intervention at the Global Gateway Conference, the Secretary-General of the ACS, H.E. Noemí Espinoza, highlighted that, after more than a decade of research, monitoring and the development of national solutions, the challenge now is to transform that knowledge into genuine regional response capacity.

“Today, that voice exists,” stated the Secretary-General while presenting the Common Position, underscoring that the Greater Caribbean now has a shared basis to guide its action in response to a phenomenon that affects ecosystems, communities, livelihoods and economic sectors that are fundamental to the region.

In this context, the ACS also presented the proposal “Strengthening the Greater Caribbean to Address Future Sargassum Arrivals during the 2026–2030 Period,” aimed at turning regional priorities into implementable actions.

Strengthening regional governance

As part of the mission, the ACS participated in the Regional Sargassum Governance Policy Lab, organised by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Expertise France; a forum that made it possible to deepen dialogue on more coordinated sargassum governance.

At this meeting, the ACS contributed the experience gained through the Sargassum Sub-Commission and identified three central challenges for strengthening regional governance: reducing fragmentation among national initiatives, facilitating the translation of regional agreements into responses adapted to the different realities of countries and territories, and addressing regulatory gaps related to valorisation, permits, standards, and environmental and social safeguards.

The Association highlighted that the region already has capacities that can be connected and expanded — such as satellite monitoring tools, scientific networks and national management experiences — and positioned the Sargassum Sub-Commission of the Caribbean Sea Commission as the permanent mechanism to coordinate these capacities, facilitate exchange among countries, and turn national experiences into knowledge and solutions with regional scope.

From coordination to action

Cancún made it possible to bring these regional priorities into dialogue with cooperation partners, financial institutions, scientific actors and the private sector, opening opportunities to mobilise knowledge, technology, investment and resources towards concrete solutions to sargassum.

The ACS will continue to strengthen these partnerships to scale up regional solutions, mobilise the necessary resources and improve preparedness for future arrivals, ensuring that international cooperation responds to the priorities defined by the Greater Caribbean.

Responding to sargassum also means strengthening our collective capacity to protect and govern the Caribbean Sea, on which our ecosystems, communities, economies and sustainable development depend.